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Roy Lassiter – USMNT

April 2, 2008by US Soccer Players

Position: Forward

Date of Birth: 03/09/1969

College Experience: NC State

Height: 5' 8"

Weight: 165 lbs

Caps: 30

Goals: 4

Roy Lassiter still holds the MLS single-season scoring record with 26 goals for the Tampa Bay Mutiny during the league’s first season in 1996. While injuries got in Lassiter’s way in 1997, limiting his goal-scoring production to 10 goals, he found his form the following year after being traded to D.C. United for Roy Wegerle in one of the more high-profile trades in the history of MLS. In ’98, he amassed 18 goals in only 25 games. The following season, he won an MLS Cup with D.C. United while scoring 18 goals.

Lassiter later moved on to the Miami Fusion, Kansas City Wizards and another short stint with D.C. United before moving to the A-League in 2002 to play for the Virginia Beach Mariners.

He retired in 2004 after a stint with the Laredo Heat of the USL Premier Development League and the Austin Posse.

Overall, Lassiter scored four goals and earned 30 caps for the U.S. National Team during his career. He works in youth soccer.

USMNT Experience

1999: Played against Germany and Argentina in Bruce Arena’s U.S. squad.
1997: Became an established part of the U.S. squad leading into World Cup qualifying. He earned 11 caps in 1997 before suffering injury problems.
1996: Spent most of the year with the National Team, facing Brazil and finding the net against Costa Rica to help the U.S. advance to the next round of World Cup qualifying.
1995: Scored his first international goal on October 7, 1995 against Saudi Arabia.
1992: Debuted as a full international on January 25, 1992 against the Commonwealth of Independent States (the former Soviet Union).

Professional Experience

2003: Played 25 games for the A-League’s Virginia Beach Mariners, scoring seven goals and tallying six assists.
2002: Signed contract to play for Hampton Roads Mariners.
2002: Played 14 games for Wizards and DC United.
2001: Scored seven goals in 23 games with the Wizards.
2000: Traded from D.C. United to the Miami Fusion, where he scored ten goals in 27 games.
1999: Won the MLS Cup as a member of D.C. United while tied for the league lead in goals with eighteen.
1998: Traded to D.C. United where he picked up his ’96 form, scoring eighteen goals in 25 games. Named MVP of the FC Champions Cup.
1997: Scored ten goals in an injury-hampered season.
1996: Was named to the All-Star team and the MLS Best Eleven. He won the Golden Boot for leading MLS in scoring with 26 goals in the league’s first season with the Tampa Bay Mutiny.
1996: Played for four months with Genoa in the Italy’s Serie B
1995: Scored 17 goals in 43 games in 1994-95 with Alajuela of the Costa Rican First Division; named foreign player of the year
1994: Scored seven goals for Carmelita in Costa Rica
1993: Scored one goal in his first season with Turrialba in Costa Rica

Youth and college: Scored 22 goals his senior year at N.C. State, Attended Lees McRae Junior College as a freshman, posting 21 goals and earning first team All-American. High School: Played for Athens Drive in Raleigh, N.C where he was named North Carolina state 4-A Player of the Year as senior for scoring state-record 47 goals and leading team to state championship, led team to 49-15-9 record during his prep year. His youth club team, Raleigh United, lost in the McGuire Cup U-19 national finals in 1989.